ZAF Targets Zambian youths with anti-social vice campaign
The program will engage young people aged 6-21 across all Air Force bases.
Zambia.- The Zambia Air Force (ZAF) has launched a targeted campaign to educate students about the risks associated with gambling and other social vices.
Organised by the ZAF’s Chaplaincy Department, the campaign titled “Catch Them Young” aims to promote positive values and lifestyles among children and adolescents.
The program will engage young people aged 6-21 across all Air Force bases and focus on guidance and support to tackle challenges like gambling, self-harm, drug abuse and violence.
The campaign started with a children’s talk at the Lusaka Air Force Base, where over 350 children and young people gathered to learn about safe living.
In her address at the event, Lieutenant Colonel Judith Mutale, ZAF acting director of general chaplaincy, said that the campaign’s objective is to equip children with knowledge about life’s challenges from an early age.
Lt Col Mutale said: “It is clear that 70 to 80 percent of the children here haven’t yet been fully exposed to vices, and this qualifies them to be the ideal age group for the topics selected because our goal is to preserve and inform the children on the dangers that lie within these vices before they get exposed.”
Mutale also revealed that ZAF is partnering with key agencies, such as the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) and the Zambia Police Gender Division, to provide the children with quality advice and support.
She said: “Gender-based violence does not only start from the point of marriage, but it goes far back to when one is a child. Therefore, with help from our partners DEC and Zambia Police, we have taught the children the importance of restraining from violence and have since encouraged them to respect one another irrespective of age and other cultural differences.”
In his closing remarks, the station commander at ZAF Lusaka, Col Joseph Phiri, praised the chaplaincy team and noted that the talks would help children make informed decisions.
Following the success of the first program, the Catch Them Young team heads next to ZAF Mount Eugenia.
